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Ambassador's Christmas party

Members of to the British-Croatian Society are invited to the Croatian Ambassador's residence, 13 Spaniards End, NW3 7JG, for a Christmas party at 18-30 on December 13.

The invitation is for subscribing members of the Society. If you are not a member and would like to join us in furthering links between the UK and Croatia, please go to www.britishcroatiansociety.com for information. Membership is inexpensive and it is members' support that allows us to offer a lively programme of British-Croatian Society events.

Please note that the RSVP address for the Christmas party invitation is [email protected].

This year the British-Croatian Society's annual dinner will be held in the magnificent surroundings of the Savile Club in Mayfair (www.savileclub.co.uk). The club was founded in 1868 and its elegant premises are at 60 Brook Street, W1K 4ER.

As usual the annual dinner will provide an opportunity to socialise and to enjoy a splendid three course meal. Booking is now open at £60 a person (£55 for subscribing members of the British-Croatian Society).

To book your place, please first email [email protected]and then make your payment one of the following ways:

All tickets at the Hoop and Toy have now been allocated. The British-Croatian Society has negotiated space at another venue, the Horse and Wig in Holborn, where Croatian supporters can gather to watch the match.

A limited number of tickets are available for The Horse and Wig, by emailing:

Get ready for a month of amazing football matches! We are welcomed by our favourite pub The Hoop and Toy to support the Croatian football team again.

Prepare your Croatian flags and Croatian dress! Entrance to the private pub area for Croatians and Friends from an hour before each match is in the Upstairs room. You can enjoy a bottle of Croatian wine and a nice Croatian platter to nibble on!

Be sure to arrive early to book a table! The pub is very central, just a minute’s walk off the South Kensington Tube station:

We invite you to submit photographs in preparation for the British-Croatian Society's next calendarCroatia.

There will be a change this year. The calendar will be printed and for sale in November as usual, but the exhibition this year will be online. We will still have a launch party to which all photographers will be invited.

We are looking for photographs that show Croatia in all its variety, not only as a beautiful place for a holiday. Photographs are invited from professionals and amateurs of any nationality, in as high a resolution as possible. People, places, abstract - all subjects and techniques are welcome.

Please note that if you want your photographs to the considered for the printed calendar, they will need to be landscape format photographs. For the exhibition, photographs can be landscape or portrait.

High quality photographs can be taken on a smart phone, so please tell your family and friends about calendarCroatia 2019.

Please send up to 4 of your photographs with the photographer's name and the title of the photographs to us at [email protected] .

Let us have your photographs as soon as you can, but not later than October 20.

Tulip Siddiq MP will host, and Nicholas Jarrold will chair, a British-Croatian Society event in the House of Commons

Dr Gabrijela Kocjan

Jubilee Room

House of Commons

18-00 to 20-00, May 22

•Aim: To raise awareness of the contribution that Croatian immigrants make to the UK

•Objective: To confirm that immigration benefits not just the migrants themselves, but also the UK

How to apply for a place

To apply for a place, or places, please respond to this email. As places for this event are limited, you need to be a subscribing member of the British-Croatian Society (see below if you are not a member and wish to join). We will respond to your email to confirm your place(s).

Our speaker, Dr Kocjan, a distinguished and published medical researcher who came to the UK in 1981, writes:

"The ‘cells’ in the title serve just as an introduction to the topic of immigration, to establish a level playing field: we are all made exactly of the same cells as the next person regardless of where they are from. Secondly, issues such as cervical screening, smoking and lung cancer, detection of breast cancer, are common to both Croatia and UK and were, in some respects of my discipline developed very well (or better) in Croatia ( which is why the cross-over is important). I am not going to go into research or anything ‘high brow’ scientifically, nor even mention my books, because that would be wasting the point. This is not a story about an individual, this is a story of a process. My CV gave me this platform which we can then use to explore more general points."

If you are not a member of the British-Croatian Society, details of membership and how you can join can be found on our website www.britishcroatiansociety.com

We invite you to submit photographs in preparation for the British-Croatian Society's next calendarCroatia.

There will be a change this year. The calendar will be printed and for sale in November as usual, but the exhibition this year will be online. We will still have a launch party to which all photographers will be invited.

We are looking for photographs that show Croatia in all its variety, not only as a beautiful place for a holiday. Photographs are invited from professionals and amateurs of any nationality, in as high a resolution as possible. People, places, abstract - all subjects and techniques are welcome.

Please note that if you want your photographs to the considered for the printed calendar, they will need to be landscape format photographs. For the exhibition, photographs can be landscape or portrait.

High quality photographs can be taken on a smart phone, so please tell your family and friends about calendarCroatia 2018.

Please send up to 4 of your photographs with the photographer's name and the title of the photographs to us at [email protected].

Let us have your photographs as soon as you can, but not later than October 20.

The British-Croatian Society is pleased to announce a rare opportunity to hear klapa in London.

Klapa Nevera

Saturday April 21 at 18.30

St Ethelburga's, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG

St Ethelburga's is a delightful venue for this concert with a fascinating history. It is a 5 minute walk from Liverpool Street station.

Klapa Nevera is one of the most famous names on the Rijeka Klapa scene. Klapa Nevera came together in 1988 when five music lovers and enthusiasts decided to create a vocal group that would be closely related to Dalmatian klapa. The group has performed in Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Hungary, France, Germany and the Czech Republic. For more information on Klapa Nevera, please go top www.klapa-nevera.com.hr.

Tickets are now on sale at £20. To book your places please reply to this email and make a payment in one of the following ways:

- by paypal

Klapa Nevera

- by bank transfer to The British Croatian Society, account 60566500 at Barclays Oxford City Centre branch, sort code 20-65-18, quoting your name as reference

- or by cheque made payable to The British-Croatian Society sent to: Peter Elborn, Events British-Croatian Society, 5 Well Road, London NW3 1LH.

Matko Marušić will talk about places of local pilgrimage on smaller islands near larger coastal towns - especially those that were important during Holy Week because they had copies of the Holy Tomb of Jerusalem.

His talk will focus on Daksa near Dubrovnik and Košljun near Krk. He will highlight the various roles the islands played in the lives of coastal towns and, in many cases, were special sacred spaces with carefully planned "strategies" through which the process of going to these islets (as well as the prayers they were praying there), was a substitute for a "real" pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Matko Matija Marušić is a junior researcher at the Institute of Art History and a PhD candidate at the Postgraduate programme of medieval studies of the University of Zagreb. During the Lent term 2018 he is a visiting student at the Department of Art History of the Univeristy of Cambridge. His research stay in the UK is supported by the British Scholarship Trust.

Listen to a live reading from the first full-length English translation of Uncle Maroye by Marin Držić - a Renaissance playwright from Dubrovnik, and forerunner of Shakespeare. A cast of five actors, including Filip Krenus (the translator) and Adele Anderson (Humanist singer of Fascinating Aida), will read the selected scenes from this comedy of greed, lust and mistaken identity!

The musical component of the evening will be performed by violinist, Anda Vican, playing works by Luka Sorkočević, a Dubrovnik Baroque composer

For your visual delight, there will also be an exhibition of photographs taken by Bari Goddard which will feature his view of Dubrovnik, along with stills from Midsummer Scene - an English theatre festival regularly performing the works of Shakespeare in the old town of Dubrovnik.

AMAC-UK Annual concert is on Saturday 24th February, in support of academic scholarships for Croatian young scientists. This year it will be given by a brilliant Russian pianist, Vitaly Pisarenko. More details here.

Annual General MeetingYou are invited to the British-Croatian Society's AGM and Food and Wine event

January 24

Croatian Embassy

21 Conway Street

London, W1T 6BN

The AGM will start at 18-15 (please see attached papers) and will be followed by a break at 18-45 when we will serve Croatian wine.

The Food and Wine event will start at 19-00 and will include the launch of Barbara Unkovic's new cookery book in English 'The Adriatic Kitchen'. If you do not wish to attend the AGM, you are welcome to join us for the wine and food event from 18-45.

Please join us for the British Croatian Society Annual Dinner to be held in the Great Hall of the London Rowing Club (www.londonrc.org.uk).The guest speaker will be Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk RoadsTickets: £50 for members / £55 for non-members

British-Croatian Society event with the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

'Croatian Spring' is the first account in English of the events in Yugoslavia in 1966-71. You are invited to come and hear Dr Ante Batovic in conversation with Dr Bojan Aleksov and to join us afterwards for a glass of wine.

You are invited to hear James Gillespie in conversation with Flora TurnerOctober 3, 18-00 for 18-30

Bertrand Russell room

Conway Hall

25 Red Lion Square

London WC1R 4RL

(near Holborn underground station

Olga Czepf's real life story is as good as any thriller. It is an incredible story of love against the odds. When the Gestapo seize 20-year-old Olga’s fiancé she is determined to find him and sets off on an extraordinary 2,000-mile search across Nazi-occupied Europe up to the barracks of Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps.

It is also a very personal insight into life during the Second World War in Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Germany. She also describes her life in London. It was in London where she became a friend of Flora Turner and James Gillespie.

James Gillespie is a respected journalist who worked with Olga to bring her story into print. A Greater Love was published in 2011. We had wanted Olga to talk to the British-Croatian Society about her book, and she was willing to do so, but she was elderly and frail and died late last year. James will tell her story. He will also talk about how he came to know Olga and the process of jointly producing her memoir.

There is much more to tell, but come to hear James tell her story and the writing of it.

On Wednesday 19th July, Ivana Gavric will be giving the first of two performances as part of the Cambridge Summer Music Festival - a recital at the Fitzwilliam Museum with works by Schumann, Grieg, Chopin and Liszt.

On Saturday 22nd July she will be performing the Schumann Concerto with the Outcry Ensemble and James Henshaw at the West Road Concert Hall.

For those who like to plan ahead, the booking for her Wigmore Hall Evening recital on 28 December is now open.

Known for his intelligent and virtuosic playing on both the violin and viola d’amore, Bojan Cicic specialises in repertoire ranging from the late 16th century to the Romantic period.

He has been a guest leader and soloist with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the King’s Consort and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, working closely with conductors such as Frans Brüggen, Trevor Pinnock and Richard Egarr. He has appeared many times as a director with the Academy of Ancient Music and the European Union Baroque Orchestra.

He has featured as a leader on numerous recordings with ensemble Florilegium, La Nuova Musica, and the Arcangelo Consort. His recording of J.S. Bach’s Concerto for two violins with Rachel Podger was recently named the best available recording by BBC Music Magazine.

Bojan’s own group, the Illyria Consort, recently made their first disc with Delphian Records, a groundbreaking recording of Carbonelli’s virtuosic violin sonatas that will be released in June 2017. The Illyria Consort explores rare repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries from the Venetian Republic and Habsburg Empire, and have performed at the Utrecht Early Music Festival, the Korkyra Baroque Festival, Festival Laus Polyphoniae, and at the Festival de Sablé.

Future projects include directing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the European Union Baroque Orchestra and performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Instruments of Time and Truth. Bojan plays a violin by Rugieri from the 1680s, kindly loaned to him by the Jumpstart Junior Foundation.

Bojan has established himself in recent years as an expert teacher. He was recently appointed Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music, and is passionate about training the next generation of instrumentalists in historically-informed playing styles.

In late September he will be in conversation with Bojan Bujic at a British-Croatian Society event.

Nenad Bicanic was a key player in the WelcomeCroatia festival organised by the British-Croatian Society in 2013. His enthusiasm drove the creation of the kazun that was built in the Peak District National Park.

Following his sad death late last year, a memorial plaque dedicated to Nenad will be unveiled at 14-00 on July 1. Everyone who would like to attend, and possibly visit the kazun for the first time, will be very welcome. The building and the location are beautiful. If you plan to come please let David Davison know [email protected].

The award winning theatre company The Outbound Project has started rehearsals for their new show 12 Million Volts, which will be an exploration of the life and mind of the inventor Nikola Tesla.

The theatre company says it was drawn to Nikola Tesla for a multitude of reasons:

"We are intrigued by how often he is forgotten in the modern world and how many of his inventions are at the centre of today's technology, yet he is rarely given any credit.

We are using our unique visual style of theatre that has built up the acclaim of The Outbound Project to tell Teslas story. Not only will we be exploring his life and inventions, we are also exploring the mind of a genius and how he thought on a larger scale than the rest of the world. Not just in his inventions, but how he saw those inventions benefits the world not just the few."

12 Million Volts will be in London on June 25th and 26th at the New Diorama Theatre and again for a week-long run at The Space August 1st-5th. Tickets are on sale for both venues.

So many people have wanted to come to the summer reception that we have moved the event at the Athenaeum Club to the bigger Smoking Room (but do not worry - smoking is not allowed and there is no hint of smoking).

If you wish to come and have not already booked, please reply to this email and arrange payment not later than Thursday evening.

You are invited to the opening of a photographic exhibition in the presence of the Croatian Ambassador and Mrs Grdesic on May 25, 18-00 to 20-00 at the Croatian Embassy, 21 Conway Street, London W1T 6BN.

The photographers are professional and accomplished amateur photographers who have many exhibitions and awards to their credit. They produce pictures that are surprising in content and originality.

Dr and Mrs Grdesic will be guests, as photographers, of the organisers of the exhibition who wish to thank them for their support and wish them well as they prepare to leave the UK.

With regret we have had to postpone the event programmed for April 24 when James Gillespie was to be in conversation with Flora Turner about Olga Watkins and her book A Greater Love. We will announce a new date as soon as possible.

British-Croatian Society Meet-up at Eclipse on Thursday 27th April from 7pm to 10pm

Come along for a chat about all things Croatian!

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you. The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet British-Croatian Society members and even to join and become members if they so wish!

You will also have a chance to meet with HE Ambassador of Croatia Dr Ivan Grdesic who will be attending informally to meet up with us!

We will be meeting at Eclipse 111-113 Walton St, Chelsea, London SW3 2HP from 7pm!

We have reserved special separate area for our meet up! BCS member Tihana Borovcak Kovacevic will be there from the start 7pm to meet you all!

The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL, are organising a roundtable discussion on the 25th anniversary of the Republic of Croatia's international recognition. A panel will discuss related historical decisions and developments in Croatia, as well as the issue of international recognition of states more broadly. The panel will be composed of experts in the field as well as those who themselves participated in the decision-making at the time.

The panellists will be Dr Robin Harris, former adviser to Lady Thatcher, historian and lecturer; Dr Mate Granić, special adviser to the Croatian President Mrs Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Dr Eric Gordy, Senior Lecturer in Southeast European Politics, UCL.

Introductory remarks will be given by His Excellency Dr Ivan Grdešić, Ambassador of Croatia to the UK, and Professor Jan Kubik, Director of SSEES.

Click here for evite and the registration link for the roundtable discussion that will take place on Wednesday, 3rd May 2017, 5.30 -7.30 pm at the Archaeology Lecture Theatre, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY.

This evening of readings at the Austrian Cultural Forum might be of interest to members of the British Croatian Society (chiefly for my translated extract from Hermann Bahr's otherwise untranslated travelo gueDalmatian Journey of 1909).

Variations on a Theme 2017

Wednesday 29 March 2017, 7.00pm | Austrian Cultural Forum London

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural ACF London Translation Prize and ACF London Writing Prize and to invite you to a prize-giving reception to hear readings from the winners and commended entrants. This will also be the closing event for our translator in residence and organiser of the prizes, Jen Calleja.

The winner of the ACF London Translation Prize is Jackie Smith for her translation of the opening of the novelAm Randby Hans Platzgumer. Two translators were also commended for their submissions: Karen Leeder for her translation of an extract of Raoul Schrott'sDas Geschlecht der Engel and Jonathan Blower for his translation of an extract of Hermann Bahr'sDalmatinische Reise. The judges were translator Jamie Bulloch, publisher ofStructomagazine Euan Monaghan, and ACF London translator in residence Jen Calleja.

The winner of the ACF London Writing Prize isPaul McQuade for his short story The Wound in the Air, with commendations awarded to Cornelius Fitz for his short storyA Foot in Meinong's Jungle and Aleksi Koponen for his short story Climanen/Nodus. Along with Euan Monaghan and Jen Calleja, the writer Eley Williams was also a judge for the prize.

Olga Czepf's real life story is as good as any thriller. It is an incredible story of love against the odds. When the Gestapo seize 20-year-old Olga’s fiancé she is determined to find him and sets off on an extraordinary 2,000-mile search across Nazi-occupied Europe up to the barracks of Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps.

It is also a very personal insight into life during the Second World War in Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Germany. She also describes her life in London. It was in London where she became a friend of Flora Turner and James Gillespie.

James Gillespie is a respected journalist who worked with Olga to bring her story into print. A Greater Love was published in 2011. We had wanted Olga to talk to the British-Croatian Society about her book, and she was willing to do so, but she was elderly and frail and died late last year. James will tell her story. He will also talk about how he came to know Olga and the process of jointly producing her memoir.

There is much more to tell, but come to hear James tell her story and the writing of it.

Following the success of the calendarCroatia calendar and exhibition in last year, we are inviting you to send us photographs taken in 20017 in Croatia for a British-Croatian Society

- Christmas card,- general greetings card- and for a 2018 calendar.

25 photographs will be selected to feature in the calendar. One photograph will be selected for the Christmas card and one for a general greetings card In addition we will feature some 40 photographs in an exhibition to be held at the gallery of the Croatian Embassy in London in late November. Calendars and cards will be available for purchase at the British-Croatian Society's annual dinner on November 23 and online.

We are looking for photographs that show Croatia in all its variety, not only as a scenically beautiful place for a holiday. Photographs are invited from professionals and amateurs of any nationality, in as high a resolution as possible. People, places, abstract - all subjects and techniques are welcome. High quality photographs can be taken on a smart phone, so please tell your family and friends about calendarCroatia 2018.

Please send up to 4 of your photographs with the photographer's name and the title of the photographs to us at[email protected] .

Let us have your photographs as soon as you can, but not later than October 20.

Pianist Ivana Gavric will be performing at the Wigmore Hall on Sunday 23 April at 11.30am, as part of their Coffee Concert Series. Programme will include works by Beethoven Chopin and Liszt and will mark the official launch of Ivana's new widely-anticipated album dedicated to the works by Chopin. General booking for the concert is now open, and only a few tickets are still left.

You are invited to an exhibition that will include photographs by Gordana Johnson, a British-Croatian Society member and the person behind the British-Croatian Society's photographic exhibitions and calendar. The invitation is attached.

First Impressions of CroatiaAndrew Dalgleish, the UK's Amabasador to Croatia

At a time when the UK's relationship with EU countries will change as part of Brexit, we have the opportunity to listen to Britain's new ambassador to Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish, who will speak at Europe House and give his first impressions of Croatia

Monday February 6, 18-00 for 18-30

Europe House, 32 Smith Square, London SW1P 3EU
Refreshment will be served

RSVP Please let us know by replying to this email if you plan to come so we can give names to reception at Europe House

In his diplomatic postings, Andrew has worked in the UK Representation in Brussels and headed the European Union Strategy Department, as well as handling briefs on climate change and the environment.

Flora Turner-Vucetic's lunchtime Mestrovic talk in November at the National Portrait Gallery was well attended, but many people were unable to attend at that time of the day. The British-Croatian Society has therefore arranged for the talk to be repeated at Europe House.

Europe House is an appropriate location for a Croatian artist who had major influential exhibitions in Vienna, Paris, Prague, Rome, New York and, of course, in London at the V&A in 1915.

Flora's illustrated talk looks at the art and life of Ivan Meštrovic (1883 – 1962), as sculptor, painter, draughtsman, architect, writer and poet through a discussion of his portraits. Ivan Meštrovic's one man show in 1915 at the Victoria and Albert Museum was a sensational event received by public and critics with great acclaim. Flora Turner-Vučetić revives the memory of the art and life of this exceptional artist through a discussion of his portraits which were in many cases an expression of his respect and admiration for his subjects.

Flora Turner-Vučetić has been an art historian, museum curator, diplomat, journalist and writer. She has worked as a Senior Curator in the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb, a broadcast journalist and editor at the Croatian Section of the BBC World Service, London, and as Counsellor for cultural, scientific and educational affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in London. She was one of the founders and a past Chairman of the British-Croatian Society and remains a Trustee. She is presently a writer, freelance journalist and researcher. She has organised numerous exhibitions in the UK and regularly publishes mainly on visual arts and British Croatian artistic and cultural relations, as for example Mapping Croatia in United Kingdom Collections, Archaeopress, Oxford, 2013. She contributed to the symposium about Ivan Meštrović at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2015 and to the special isssue of the Sculpture Journal dedicated to Meštrović in 2016.

The demand for the calendarCroatia 2017 has been enormous and we have now sold all copies. Our apologies if you had still wanted to buy one.

calendarCroatia 2017 - SOLD OUT

The calendar is now available for purchase. It is beautifully produced with 25 spectacular images, A7 size on high quality matt paper (see the cover here). The cost is £10 if you are collecting it in person, £13 (including post and packing) if it is to be posted to a UK address, and £19 (including post and packing) posted to Croatia.

To purchase your copy of calendarCroatia 2017 please let us know by emailing [email protected] om (with your postal address if it is to be posted) and arrange payment in one of the following ways:

- by paypal on the British-Croatian Society's website

calendarCroatia 2017 options

- by bank transfer to The British Croatian Society, account 60566500 at Barclays Oxford City Centre branch, sort code 20-65-18 quoting your name as reference

- by sending a cheque payable to the British-Croatian Society to Peter Elborn (Events Secretary), 5 Well Road, London NW3 1LH.

Come and join us tomorrow evening for a glass of wine and an opportunity to view our latest photographic exhibition and the launch of the British-Croatian Society's 2017 calendar.

calendarCroatia is a new venture for the British-Croatian Society, building on the success of our photographic exhibitions since welcomeCroatia in 2013. The British-Croatian Society 2017 calendar has 25 beautiful images and the exhibition features a further 44. These startlingly good and very varied photographs convey the variety and character of Croatia, as well as the skill and imagination of our photographers. In addition to the enjoyment we hope you will have viewing the exhibition, the calendar will extend your enjoyment over the year.

You are invited to a reception to mark the printing of the British-Croatian Society's 2017 calendar and to open an exhibition of photographs from the many spectacular photographs that were submitted

A photographic exhibition and the launch of the British-Croatian Society's 2017 calendar

calendarCroatia is a new venture for the British-Croatian Society, building on the success of our photographic exhibitions since welcomeCroatia in 2013. The British-Croatian Society 2017 calendar has 25 beautiful images and the exhibition features a further 44. These startlingly good and very varied photographs convey the variety and character of Croatia, as well as the skill and imagination of our photographers. In addition to the enjoyment we hope you will have viewing the exhibition, the calendar will extend your enjoyment over the year.

You are invited to a reception to mark the printing of the British-Croatian Society's 2017 calendar and to open an exhibition of photographs from the many spectacular photographs that were submitted.

18-00 to 20-00 on Friday December 2

Croatian Embassy, 21 Conway Street, London W1T 6BN

Refreshments will be served

Details about how you can buy the calendar will be given at the launch and by email subsequently.

Please join us for the British Croatian Society Annual Dinner to be held at the Queen’s Club (www.queensclub.co.uk); private members club which is the first multipurpose sports complex ever to be built anywhere in the world, situated in a both tranquil and charming setting.

If you would like to attend, please do two things:
1. Email [email protected] with your name and the names of anyone accompanying you, with a note of any special dietary requirements
2. Make your payment. This will be £45 for members, £50 for non-members (if you are not a member and wish to join, please see our website).

Payment for the dinner can be made:

Annual Dinner

· by bank transfer to The British Croatian Society, account 60566500 at Barclays Oxford City Centre branch, sort code 20-65-18 quoting your name as reference
· or by cheque made payable to The British-Croatian Society sent to:

Chris Cviić Memorial LectureThe One Belt, One Road Initiative in HistoryThe construction of foreign and economic policy in the Adriatic in the Middle Ages

by Peter Frankopan

Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College, University of Oxford

Monday, 03 October 2016, 5pm

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2JN

Summary: Many see China’s One Belt, One Road initiative as the most important development that will shape the 21st century. A thousand years ago, a city at the other end of the Silk Roads was considering how to extend and expand its reach. Venice’s One Belt, One Road saw its interests and influence grow through the Adriatic and then further into the Mediterranean. In this talk, the historian Peter Frankopan, author of the highly acclaimed Silk Roads: A New History of the World, will look at parallels between past and present and at what lessons can be learned from history.

Guests wishing to attend this event should email Avril Nurse ([email protected]) in advance, no later than Thursday, 29 September. All guests should arrive at the EBRD from 4.30pm to allow time for security clearance. The lecture will start at 5pm sharp, and will be followed by refreshments

The Hoop and Toy public house is very near South Kensington Underground station. Leave the station from the Thurloe Street exit, turn left then immediately right into Thurloe Place. The Hoop and Toy is on the right hand side.

Members of the British-Croatian Society in Scotland, and any members visiting Glasgow, are invited to a lecture to be given by the Croatian Ambassador at the University of Glasgow:Croatia, three years after joining the EU

18 May at 17-00.

Central and East European Studies seminar room, 8 Lilybank Gardens, University of Glasgow.

calendarCroatia

We invite you to send us photographs taken in Croatia for a British-Croatian Society 2017 calendar. Twelve photographs will be selected to feature in the calendar, one for each month of the year. It will also include a wider selection of photographs in a collage and all will appear in an exhibition at the gallery of the Croatian Embassy in London in November.

We are looking for photographs that show Croatia in all its variety, not only as a scenically beautiful place for a holiday. Photographs are invited from professionals and amateurs of any nationality, in as high a resolution as possible. People, places, abstract - all subjects and techniques are welcome. Today high quality photographs can be taken on a smart phone, so please tell your family and friends about calendarCroatia.

After a busy December and a welcome break, my musical activities have resumed, and I'd like to let you know about the concerts and operas I will be appearing in in the first half of 2016, including lots of Psalms from the Elysian Singers, my turn as a jealous lover in Carmen and as a lovelorn Prince in The Magic Flute. In some cases, this is very advance notice indeed so it's more of a "save-the-date", but I know how booked up everyone gets.

English Contemporary Psalm SettingsThe Elysian Singers conducted by Sam LaughtonThe Elysian Singers’ 30th anniversary Psalmfest 2016* kicks off with an array of English Contemporary Psalm Settings, honouring the choir’s commitment to music by living composers; from Joseph Horovitz (now 90) to the choir’s own Dan Rollison (still only 28!). And where better to start than a setting of Psalm No.1 by Cheryl Frances-Hoad!

Tickets: £15 (concessions for the unwaged £10), available from www.wegottickets.com, from choir members or on the door (if available).

Gala concert of arias and ensembles from St Paul's OperaMy sister Antonia and I are among the performers at what should be an enjoyable and relaxing evening of operatic highlights, with a glass of wine or two. Including excerpts from Bizet's Carmen, plus Mozart, Verdi and others.

"Carmen" performed by Southgate OperaI take the role of jealous lover Don Jose in this production of Bizet's famous opera. Please note that there are also performances on Thursday and Saturday but I will not be appearing in them, so Wednesday and Friday are the days! Booking details to follow.

(4) Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd July, 7pm, St Paul's Church, Rectory Grove, Clapham, London SW4"The Magic Flute" (Mozart) performed by St Paul's OperaI take the role of Prince Tamino in this story of love, mysticism and magic, performed by the same team that brought you Don Giovannilast year. Booking details to follow.

"The Gondoliers" (Gilbert and Sullivan) performed by New Malden Community Choir conducted by Celia CviicI take the role of Gondolier Marco, and my sister Antonia is Casilda in this amusing tale of royalty, Republicans and the inevitable baby-swapping.

You can always check out more details on my website Stephen Cviic — Tenor and there follows a bit more on the Elysian Singers' Psalmfest project, of which all this year's concerts are a part.

Monday March 21, 18-30 for 19-00
at the Croatian Embassy, 21 Conway Street, London W1T 6BN

Afterwards please join us for a glass of Croatian wine.

Michael Unsworth will talk about his relationship with Korcula and the founding and success of the Korkyra Baroque Festival, illustrated with photographs and music.

The Korkyra Baroque Festival is a high-profile cultural event established in 2012 in order to promote local and international music and cultural heritage. Supreme concert evenings and Korčula's impressive culture monuments create a unique synergy owing to which the Korkyra Baroque Festival has gained the reputation of a must-see event on the global music scene.

This year's Festival will take place from 3rd to 17th September 2016. The European Baroque Orchestra and Red Priest (UK) will return after their successful participation in the first Festival. New artists and ensembles will include The Royal Wind Music (Netherlands), ArtiCoolAzione (Italy), Marcello Gatti (Italy) and Petrit Ceku (Croatia). Vocal ensemble Antiphonus (Croatia) will return with a performance of the opera "Dido and Aeneas" by H. Purcell.

(Thursday 28 January at EBRD starting at 16.30 is POSTPONED to the new date above.)

The Annual General Meeting of the British-Croatian Society for 2016 will now be held on Tuesday 8 March 2016 starting at 18 30 at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia 21 Conway Street, London W1T 6BN.

This Notice replaces the AGM notified previously for Thursday, 28 January, 2016. This meeting is postponed because of a clash with the Outlook on Croatia business launch on 28 January at 16 00 which involves a number of BCS members.

This postponement does not affect the other events on 28 January at EBRD – the Outlook on Croatia business launch co-hosted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Business Emerging Europe at 16 00 and Fishermen's Conversations by the Croatian /Italian film screening arranged by the British Croatian Society, welcome reception at 17 30, screening at 18 05 followed by a Q & A session with the film director and a cocktail reception with Croatian wine from 19 15. If you coming to EBRD on 28 January please remember to notify the British Croatian Society at [email protected] and bring an ID document.

Saint-Saëns (arr. Garban) - Carnival of the Animals: Zoological Fantasy (1886)The Lions
Hens and Roosters
Wild Donkeys
The Turtle
The Elephant
The Kangaroo
The Aquarium
People with Long Ears
The Cuckoo
Aviary
Pianists
Fossils
The Swan
Finale

Zrinka Mikelic Bottrill was born in Croatia, and in 1993 won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London where she studied with Hamish Milne, Christopher Elton and Sulamita Aronowsky. She is a prizewinner in both the Rome International Youth Competition and Stresa International Piano Competition in Italy. Her concerts, both solo and with orchestra, in Britain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Croatia have been received with great acclaim. Her performances in London include Chopin’s Concerto No.1 at the Queen Elisabeth Hall with London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, and recitals for numerous Music Societies, such as the Chopin, the Beethoven and the Sibelius Societies, and the Caledonian Club.

The British pianist Andrew Bottrill studied with Edith Vogel and James Gibb at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, where during the 1980's he was awarded all the major piano prizes. His recitals at London venues such as Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square, as well as in International Festivals, have been well received in the press, and he can be heard in film soundtracks and on recordings released by Sony Classics and B&L Records. He holds an MA in Music Education from the University of London, is Head of Keyboard at Latymer Upper School, Professor in both Junior and senior departments of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and a Director of the London International Piano Competition.

Ljerka Njers, will be participating in PARALLAX ART FAIR taking place at Chelsea Town Hall, Kings Road, SW3. The Private View is on Friday 12th February at 7.30. The exhibition is open on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th February from 11am to 5pm.

Ljerka would be delighted to see her friends, whoever can come. If anyone would like to join her at the Private View, please email [email protected] (the organisers of the exhibition are requesting names of the people attending the Private View).

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) & the British-Croatian Society are delighted to be able to invite you to a very special event on January 28: the screening of Fishermen's Conversations by the Croatian/Italian film director Chiara Bove Makiedo. The film is in Croatian, Italian and English with sub-titles.

The programme:
- welcome reception at 17.30
- the screening at 18.05 followed by a Q & A session with the film director
- a cocktail reception with Croatian wine from 19.15.

If you wish to attend, it is essential to register for this event by replying by email to this invitation not later than January 26. Security at EBRD means you should allow an extra 10 minutes to enter the building and you should come with some form of ID.

Synopsis (poster attached)
Fishermen’s Conversations is a study of a Mediterranean island, a young woman’s ode to her Grandfather and a portrait of a group of men struggling to maintain their fishing livelihood in a rapidly changing landscape.

Taking its title from the epic poem by the islands great poet, Petar Hektorović, the film uses minimal dialogue and narration in a partly fly-on-the-wall documentary that laments the depredation of tourism in Croatia and the greed that invites it. At the same time, the film celebrates the conservation of a way of life that helps preserve the identity of the island.
Through journeys with fishermen as they take to the seas to make their living, ‘Fishermen’s Conversations’ encourages the viewer to agree that not all is lost if we can only allow time to stand still once in a while.

Dr Goran Nikšić was born in Split in 1957. He studied architecture, conservation (University of York), and the history of architecture.

As conservation architect with the Ministry of Culture for 25 years he has produced architectural surveys and managed restoration projects of important historic buildings throughout Dalmatia, including the cathedrals of Korčula, Hvar, Split, Trogir and Šibenik.

Since 2006, as Head of the Service for the Old City Core, has managed a number of planning, restoration, rehabilitation and maintenance projects for the Municipality of Split.

He has published articles on Roman, medieval and Renaissance Dalmatian architecture, as well as on restoration issues and on the history of architectural conservation in Dalmatia.

This time we intend to meet at the National Theatre on the South Bank. There has been a recent refurbishment of the bar area which of course also serves tea and coffee.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We hope to bag a table early on in the bar area on the ground floor. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7.30 PM and 10 PM.
Come along for a chat about all things Croatian!

Annual Dinner, November 13, 18-30 - 23-00pm
East India Club, 16 St James's Square, London SW1Y 4LH www.eastindiaclub.co.ukPlease note that the East India Club has a dress code that requires men to wear a jacket and tie.

£50 (£45 for members of the British-Croatian Society)

If you would like to attend, please do two things:

- email [email protected] with your name and the names of anyone accompanying you, with a note of any special dietary requirements

- make your payment. This will be £45 for members, £50 for non-members (if you are not a member and wish to join, please see our website).

Payment for the dinner can be made

- by bank transfer to The British Croatian Society, account 60566500 at Barclays Oxford city centre branch, sort code 20-65-18

This Friday (30th October) in London, Jonatan Bougt (guitar) and Irena Radić (piano), students of Royal College of Music, present a lunch time recital dedicated to the music of French composers Ravel and Debussy.

The concert starts at 13:00 and it takes place at The Swedish Church, 6 Harcourt St, London W1H 4AG.

Hear authors Goran Vojnović and Andrej Nikolaidis in converstation with Rosie Goldsmith at Waterstones, Piccadilly on Friday, October 16th, 7pm

Everybody knows this famous Larkin quote, but what does it mean when a son finds out that his father is a war criminal or that his mother was a secret service hit-woman?

Twenty years after the end of the war that followed the break-up of Yugoslavia, a generation of writers is still trying to come to terms with the legacy of their parents' generation.

Goran Vojnović has written for stage and page about the ethnic tensions still present in his native Slovenia, and will be presenting his latest novel, Yugoslavia, My Fatherland, a book which attempts to demystify the wars of the 1990s through the microcosm of a family.

Montenegro's Andrej Nikolaidis will be talking about is latest book, Till Kingdom Come - a crime story which ambitiously spans generations and countries while following a local hack on the trail of his biggest story.

Istros Books is an independent publisher of contemporary literature from South East Europe, based in Bloomsbury, London. Istros Books aims to show-case the very best of literature - both fiction and non-fiction - from the Balkan region to a new audience of English speakers: bringing the best of European writing through quality translation.

MISSION BALKANS!

How to bring the best of contemporary literature from SE Europe to a British audience?

Join Susan Curtis, Founding Director of UK publisher Istros Books, as she presents her pioneering work to provide a platform for writing and writers from a much-misunderstood region. In conversation with Annie & Christopher Buxton. With discount book sale and refreshments to follow.

Mr Boris Vujčić, Governor of Croatian National Bank will be giving a lecture - Central and Eastern Europe convergence and policies to support the catching-up process;

Lecture will be held at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2JN
Guests wishing to attend this event must email Avril Nurse ([email protected]) in advance, no later than Wednesday, 08 July. All guests should arrive at the EBRD from 3.30pm to allow time for security clearance. The lecture will start at 4pm sharp, and will be followed by refreshments.

Our next meet-up will be a special Croatian National Day meal and will take place on Saturday 27 June* at the Polish Social and Cultural Association Lowiczanka restaurant in Hammersmith.

*Please note the change of date from that previously advertised i.e not the 26th!*

We will be on the first floor in the Lowiczanka restaurant at 7.15 – please do arrive at that time.

The Centre is conveniently situated around the corner from Ravenscourt Park station. The restaurant offers a variety of Polish food at reasonable prices. (Sadly, there is no Croatian establishment that suits our needs).

This will be an informal affair, in the spirit of our regular meet-ups, so no strict dress code. You simply turn up and order from the menu – you will be paying the restaurant direct on the night rather than to us.

Come up to the restaurant and look out for BCS committee members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar – they will have a Croatian flag!

Aside from our regulars, this would make an excellent first BCS event for anyone who has not come before, and you are welcome to bring guests.

There is no need to book a place. However, it would be useful if you could signal your intention to come by emailing us at [email protected] . If you cannot commit to coming until nearer the time or even the day – don’t worry, just come along.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

At the moment, the creativeCroatia festival is underway, so there is that to talk about and share news on.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7 PM and 10 PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

Come along for a drink and a chat about all things Croatian!

Advance Notice of the June event: To celebrate Croatian National Day, we are planning to have a special dinner Meet-Up on Friday 26 June. This will take place at the Polish Centre restaurant in Hammersmith and will have an informal atmosphere – put it in your diaries and we will provide more details soon.

Today the Croatian ambassador launched the British-Croatian Society's publication Writing Croatia at the London Book Fair.

It was produced as a contribution to Croatia's participation in the London Book Fair and as part of creativeCroatia.

Croatia's stand was earlier visited by Tibor Navracsics, the EU's Commissioner for Culture with Jeremy O'Sullivan, the EU's Cultural Attache in London.

An electronic version of Writing Croatia is attached and hard copies will be available at British-Croatian Society events. The introduction to Writing Croatia outlines the purpose of the publication:Writing Croatian is for readers in the UK who would like to read some good writing from Croatia or want to know more about the country.

It is not always easy to find out what is going on in Croatia. Media coverage in the UK is limited and much that is exciting in Croatia goes unnoticed. The British-Croatian Society attempts to address this. Writing Croatia is a follow-up to Mapping Croatia that we published in 2013 as a guide to Croatian works of art in UK museums and galleries (copies are available by emailing [email protected]).

Writing Croatia is not a definitive list. It includes out of print books that may be available from second hand booksellers. Further information about each book can be found on booksellers’ websites. If you have suggestions for additions, or other comments, please email us at [email protected].

Following our successful Meet-Up in February, our next one will be on Tuesday 24 March, at the Chandos pub in central London.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7.30PM and 10PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

Grounded in the Croatian Naive tradition of reverse oil painting on glass and mentored by several Croatian Naive artists painting today, Melanie Hodge has taken this unique and little-known technique and made it completely her own: transforming plain, ordinary window glass into looking glasses that reflect a dreaming world.

Characterised by a bright and bold palette, sweeping spirals of stars, richly detailed landscapes of wonder and flowers out of season, this is an exhibition which will showcase how an almost forgotten tradition can inspire new directions, explore the process of painting in the reverse technique and give a glimpse into an imagination of unique artistic vision - as seen through a looking glass.

This is Melanie's first exhibition in London and her second solo exhibition to exclusively feature her works on glass.

During the exhibition of the Croatian bronze sculpture - the Athlete “Apoxyomenus” - in the British Museum, the Croatian Embassy and the British-Croatian Society are organising creativeCroatia, a festival bringing to London the best of Croatian contemporary literature, visual arts, music, theatre, architecture and film. Details of individual events will follow.

Following our successful Meet-Up in December, our next one will be on 11 February, at the Chandos pub in central London.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7PM and 10PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

John Harris will give a talk on the question of re-using the forts around Pula, which are an important example of 19th century military architecture but which are unprotected and under threat from development. He will reflect on the conference organised by the University of Pula on this theme, where he gave the keynote speech.

November 6, 17:30 (the talk will be given at 18:00)

Croatian Embassy
21 Conway Street
London W1T 6BN

You are also invited to join us for a glass of Croatian wine afterwards ( we buy our wine from Croatian Fine Wines Limited www.croatianfinewines.com).

Head of the Conservation Department in Split in honour of the 250th anniversary of Robert Adam's seminal publication.

The lecture will be held in the elegant Georgian townhouse of the Georgian Group.

November 19, 17:30 for 18:00

6 Fitzroy Square

London W1T 5DX (near the Croatian Embassy)

After the lecture Ana Šverko, research associate at the Institute of Art History in Split will
announce the project and conference Dalmatia - a Destination of European Grand Tour in 18th and 19th centuries.

You are also invited to join us for a glass of Croatian Wine after the talk (the British-Croatian Society buys its wine from Croatian Fine Wine Limited www.croatianfinewines.com)

Thursday 15 January 2015

Dr Ivan Grdesic, the Croatian Ambassador, will be in conversation with Peter Sanfey from EBRD (Economic Bank for Reconstruction and Development). Their wide-ranging discussion will help understand what has happened in Croatia and what the prospects are for 2015.

We are pleased to hold this year's dinner at Piccolino (where the reception for the Lipovac sculptures was held in the summer), 11 Exchange Square, London EC2A 2BR (nearest tube Liverpool Street). For more information on Piccolino, please go to

John Harris will give a talk on the question of re-using the forts around Pula, which are an important example of 19th century military architecture but which are unprotected and under threat from development. He will reflect on the conference organised by the University of Pula on this theme, where he gave the keynote speech.

Thursday November 6, 17:30 (the talk will be given at 18:00)
Croatian Embassy
21 Conway Street
London W1T 6BN

You are also invited to join us for a glass of Croatian wine afterwards ( we buy our wine from Croatian Fine Wines Limited www.croatianfinewines.com).

On Saturday 4 October 2014 the British-Croatian Society have a group visit to the Istrian Kazun in the Peak District National Park.

It is an example of Istrian vernacular dry stone construction and celebrates Croatia’s accession to the EU.

A few places are left on the group ticket from London St Pancras International Station on the 08 57 East Midlands train to Chesterfield Derbyshire where we have hired a minibus for local transport.

The cost of the group return ticket is £36.00 per person, plus a contribution towards the minibus hire.

Friends from other locations are most welcome to join us in Chesterfield or at the Kazun, but should let us know so we can arrange numbers.

If you are interested please reply with:

contact details including your email and mobile phone number

stating whether or not you wish to join the group ticket from London

Detailed Itinerary

Location

Times 04/10/14

Remarks

Depart London St Pancras Station, East Midlands Trains service to Chesterfield.

Sheffield is the final destination of this train.

8.57

1hr 46 mins

Please arrive at the East Midlands platforms no later than 8.50. The platforms are a long walk, 250 metres from the station entrance so allow plenty time. Platform gates close about 3 minutes before the train is due to depart.

If you miss the train you will lose your place on the group ticket and you will have to pay the full fare to Chesterfield.

Following our meet-ups earlier this year, our next one will be on Thursday 9 October, at the Chandos pub in central London.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

At this event, we expect to have representatives from Klapa Kozino. Klapa Kozino are an award winning Klapa group who will be performing at the prestigious St.Ethelburga Centre for Reconciliation and Peace on 17 October. If you are interested in Klapa music, this is an excellent opportunity to find out more.

If Klapa is not your thing, there will others there to chat on different subjects.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7PM and 10PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

Cyclus by the late Vasko LipovacOn July 7, as the world’s top cyclists race through the City of London to the finish line on The Mall, Broadgate will be hosting Cyclus, a piece of art by the late Vasko Lipovac. His cyclists have made their own special journey from Croatia to Exchange Square, home of Broadgate's Summer of Sport season. This exhibition is supported by the British-Croatian Society. You can take a closer look at this monumental sculptural artwork out in the open air in Exchange Square before it takes up residence in the reception lobby of 201 Bishopsgate. This stunning piece made of individual cyclists, each with a different colour, will create the perfect atmosphere for celebrating the end of the UK leg of the tour de France. Vasko Lipovac, a painter, sculptor and printmaker was heavily influenced by Croatia’s rich culture, modelling imaginative figures with various materials. He received numerous awards for sculpture, illustrations and public monuments, as well as a lifetime achievement award shortly before he passed away in 2006. Lipovac held his first public exhibition in York in 1959 and now his sons are delighted to bring his work back to England once more. Members of the British-Croatian Society are invited to attend a reception to launch this exhibition. Members should contact this email address if they wish to attend. If you are not a member and would like to join, please see our website www.britishcroatiansociety.com which has details of how to become a member.

After midnight we will be restricted to the upstairs room which has a maximum capacity of 70 persons. Drink sales will stop at 24:00.

The Hoop and Toy is also available for Croatia v Mexico Monday 23 June 21:00.

The Hoop and Toy public house is very near South Kensington Underground station. Leave the station from the Thurloe Street exit, turn left then immediately right into Thurloe Place. The Hoop and Toy is on the right hand side.

Please email or text us if you are planning to join in so we can let the pub know our likely numbers.

have reserved their upstairs room for Croatian Fans to meet and watch:

The opening match Brazil v Croatia on Thursday 12 June 21:00 – 23:00 British Summer Time

Members of the Society will be there from 20:30. Look out for Croatian flags etc.

The room is also available for subsequent matches in the initial round:

Cameroon v Croatia 18 June 20:00 – 22:00

Croatia v Mexico 23 June 21:00 – 23:00

The Hoop and Toy public house is very near South Kensington Underground station. Leave the station from the Thurloe Street exit, turn left then immediately right into Thurloe Place. The Hoop and Toy is on the right hand side.

Please email or text us if you are planning to join in so we can let the pub know our likely numbers.

Maritime History and IdentityFriday, 20 June 2014, 6.30pm Dr Tea Perinčić Director, Maritime and History Museum, Rijeka Please email [email protected] if you wish to attend. The main challenge of working in a maritime museum today is how to manage change; from collecting and presenting heritage objects, to finding a way to conserve the current living maritime heritage in situ (both tangible and intangible). All very difficult at a time when the maritime industry (shipyards, companies) is dying. The crucial objective is then to preserve models of intangible heritage (stories, knowledge, skills, achievements,) along with material evidence of the maritime culture. This process creates a way for a people to remain in touch with their past and traditions which have been and continue being connected to the sea. And it is this maritime heritage, which has been for so long a major part of our national identity, that also connects us to the wider European maritime heritage.

EBRD & The British-Croatian SocietyChris Cviić Memorial LectureThursday, 26 June 2014, 5.30pm European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 32 One Exchange Square London EC2A 2JN Following Chris Cviić: Ethics and Reconstruction from 'the Balkans' to Ukraine by James Gow Professor of International Peace and Security King's College London Guests wishing to attend this event must email Avril Nurse [email protected] in advance, no later than Monday, 23 June. All guests should arrive at the EBRD from 5pm to allow time for security clearance. The lecture will start at 5.30pm sharp, and will be followed by refreshments.

Meet Up The Society holds regular Meet Up events. They are held in a variety of pubs in central London on weekday evenings. For the latest Meet Up, please email [email protected] The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you. The event is open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet British-Croatian Society members.

British-Croatian Society Croatia will again this year have a stand at the London Book Fair. You are invited to Europe House for an event during the Book Fair that provides a rare opportunity to hear and meet Croatian writers in London. Please email [email protected] if you wish to attend. Your name will then be given to the security staff at Europe House so they will know to expect you. You are welcome to bring along friends - just let us know their names. ‘Literary Quartet’ - An Evening celebrating writing from Croatia Wednesday April 9th at 18:30 Please join us for an evening of words and ideas featuring two established Croatian authors together with two prominent up-coming authors. Daša Drndić and Edo Popović, both established authors and members of Croatia's literary scene will be joined by relative new-comers, Dinko Telećan and Kristian Novak, and will each be exchanging ideas about their work and their experiences. There will also be a chance to sample their prose, with live author readings. The evening will be hosted by author and president of the Croatian Writers Society, Nikola Petković This event is hosted by the Croatian Embassy in London, and there will be a drinks reception following the discussion. Europe House 32 Smith Square London SW1P 3EU

There will be a bar open both before and after the concert and Gordana will be on hand at her exhibition in the Upper Gallery.

Tickets will be available at the door at £10 or £8 for students or seniors, but it will be free for members of the British-Croatian Society. You can join the Society from only £12 by going to our website: [email protected]

Lauderdale House was originally built in 1582 as a private house for the three-times Lord Mayor of London, Sir Richard Martin www.lauderdalehouse.co.uk.

The programme includes works by Andjelko Klobucar, Stjepan Sulek, Boris Papandopulo, Zeljko Brkanovic and Frano Parac.

Srđan Bulat (born in 1986 in Split, Croatia) started playing guitar at the age of eight. In 2010 he graduated Summa cum laude from the Music Academy in Zagreb where he studied with professor Darko Petrinjak, member of the Zagreb Guitar Trio and one of world's foremost guitar pedagogues. He received two Rector’s awards (awarded on the University level) and a Dean’s award.

During his career Srdjan has won prizes in almost all of the most prestigious international guitar competitions, including third and second prizes in 'Michele Pittaluga' in Alessandria, second prizes in 'Alhambra', Valencia and 'Gredos San Diego', Madrid and first prizes in 'Fernando Sor', Rome and 'Julian Arcas' in Almeria. In September 2011 Srdjan won the first prize and a special prize for the best interpretation of works by Tarrega in the 'Francisco Tarrega' competition in Benicassim, Spain, one of the most important international competitions for classical guitarists, for which he was given an opportunity to record his first CD for the prestigious music label Naxos. This CD was officially released in September 2012.

Srđan has also won numerous special awards for the best interpretation of Spanish music which is prominently featured in all of his solo recitals and recordings. Srđan has won three of the most important national competitions for young musicians: ‘Ferdo Livadic’, ‘Ivo Vuljevic’ and ‘Darko Lukic’ as the only guitarist to do so, since these are competitions open to all instrumentalists and singers.

He is currently a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he studies with Prof. Michael Lewin, as the winner of ABRSM fees scholarship. He has most recently won the second prize in the London International Guitar Competition.

Tickets are free but must be booked no later than January 27 by emailing [email protected]

Alicia Salter’s interest in the history of architecture led her to Robert Adam and his archaeological survey of Diocletian’s palace in Split and the publication of her book ‘Four Emperors and an Architect: How Robert Adam rediscovered the Tetrarchy’.

Diocletian’s palace made a huge impression on an ambitious young architect, Robert Adam, who heard about it while on his Grand Tour. Although his visit to the palace was made difficult and cut short by the ruling Venetians, who suspected him of spying, it did not stop Adam, seven years later, publishing his monumental and highly successful work, The Ruins of Spalatro (as Split was then known), which confirmed him as a rising new talent.

Alicia Salter’s book tells the story of Adam’s rediscovery of the architecture of the Tetrarchs and how Diocletian’s palace inspired features in some of Adam’s most famous houses, such as Kedleston, Syon and his ill-fated Adelphi development in London. Woven into this tale is the intriguing and little-known history of the Tetrarchs themselves, the four emperors, who ruled harmoniously as colleagues for twelve years and left us with an extraordinary architectural legacy.

The Centre for Research on the European Matrix (CRonEM) and the Croatian Embassy in London are organising a one-day conference – “CROATIA – Making a Success of EU Membership”.

The aim of the conference will be to investigate how Croatia can make the most of the opportunities it now enjoys as a Member State of the EU while addressing the challenges membership provides. As a newly sovereign state joining the EU at a time of economic crisis and ‘enlargement fatigue’, the participants will explore how and what Croatia can learn from previous rounds of enlargement, how Croatia can manage the challenge of being a euro ‘pre-in’ at a time of deepening economic integration, and how Croatian nationals can best use and adapt to their new status as EU citizens. The event will bring together policy-makers, experts and academics from Croatia, the UK and other EU members.

Monday 25 November 2013, 09:00 to 17:00 University of Surrey, Wates House This is a FREE event with a limited number of places. Lunch is provided and the event is followed by a reception. Details & registration can be found by visiting: Making a Success of EU Membership Conference

You are invited to the annual dinner of the British-Croatian Society in

The Montague on the Gardens Hotel 15 Montague Street London WC1B 5BJ

18:30 on Friday 22nd November

We are returning to the Montague Gardens Hotel (www.montaguehotel.com) for our annual dinner after the success of the dinner there last year. The hotel is a comfortable venue with friendly staff, the food is excellent and the location near the British Museum very convenient. The hotel is easy to reach by public transport and parking in the evening on the road outside is free of charge.

You will be welcomed with a glass of wine in the Large Conservatory before going to the Great Russell Suite for dinner. The Montague has a fine reputation for its food and you will be served an excellent three course meal, followed by petits fours and coffee.

Our guest speaker will be Josko Stella, Director of Tourism for the Split region, who will talk about new developments in tourism.

To make a booking, please email [email protected] with the names of those attending. At the same time please pay using paypal on www.britishcroatiansociety.com (go to paypal on the membership page and click on AD £50)

Aurelia Young talks at 18-00 about her Croatian sculptor father, Oscar Nemon, in the House of Lords, followed by a reception in the River Room by kind permission of the Lord Speaker. British-Croatian Society members can obtain tickets by emailing [email protected]

Shared Innovation is the result of a partnership developed by British Council Croatia between the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, the Croatian Designers’ Association and the School of Design, University of Zagreb.

It showcases the success of the Extra / ordinary Design Workshops - a British Council project working in Croatia since 2011.

It has used mainstream design, led by UK expertise, and a design-led inclusive process to help transform organisations run by, employing or educating socially marginalised groups and supports their struggle in challenging economic times.

Please note that guided tours will take place on Saturdays at 11-00, 14-00 and 16-00 and to book a place on a tour it is necessary to email [email protected]

The British-Croatian Society is pleased to invite you to the launch of the book 'Chris Cviić: a memoir by his friends and himself' and a showing of the film 'Homecoming / Dom Zauvijek' on Tuesday December 4 at the Whirled Cinema, 259-260 Hardess Street, Loughborough Junction, SE24 0HN.

The Whirled Cinema www.whirledart.co.uk opened in 2010 and is a comfortable cinema with a bar and lounge. It can be easily reached by public transport. The venue is booked exclusively for the British-Croatian Society from 18-30. The book launch will be at 19-00 (further information about the book is attached) and will be followed at 19-30 by screening of Homecoming (synopsis below), produced by Tina Galović, a young Croat who has set up the Bold Turtle Productions company in London. The film lasts one hour and afterwards there will be an opportunity to talk to Tina and have a drink at the bar.

Synopsis of Homecoming:

"I dream of giving birth to child who will ask 'Mother, what was war?'"

Structured in ten distinguishing yet complementary chapters, documentary film Homecoming takes us on an emotional journey through Croatian destiny in the last 20 years. The documentary introduces a number of characters of various age and background, from various parts of Croatia for whom the war of Croatian independence changed their lives forever.

Narrated with a voice of a young woman who was only a child when the war happened, intercepted with extraordinary personal stories and shocking and disturbing archive footages from early nineties, Homecoming delivers a unique and rounded journey of an unfortunate destiny of Croatian people, from the conception through labour to tragic consequences the Homeland War has brought about.

It charts the conviction of people for whom identity and survival were paramount.

Aside from strong, emotional personal stories of unthinkable horror proportions, the film is just the same one of hope and inspiration. It is a film about courage against adversity, faith against despair; reflections and remembrance, and ultimately hope for brighter future.

Through the voices of common people, Homecoming tells a story about the raise of a small, invisible Balkan country with enormous natural and human beauty from the ashes of terror; the country which still bears the scars, both physical and psychological, of the conflict during the War of Independence. It reflects upon a part of history that, although can never be changed, has moulded and influenced a generation in a positive way.

This film documents a remarkable journey through nostalgia to hope for the future and shows Croatia, its once destroyed places and despaired people in the already won fight for the brighter, promising future, and asks how other nations that have been besieged with war might see their way out of the ashes of aggression.

This year's British-Croatian Society annual dinner will be held in the Great Russell Room at the Montague Hotel (for details of the hotel see www.montaguehotel.com) on Friday November 23. This is a charming small hotel with excellent food situated next to the British Museum. It is easy to reach by public transport and from 18-30 there is parking on the road outside the hotel.

Places to attend the dinner are limited to 100. Reservations with payment must be made by Friday November 16 at the latest. The cost is £50 a person. This will include a 3 course dinner and coffee, as well as a welcome drink in the Conservatory.

Reservations should be made by email to Suzanna at [email protected], giving the names of those attending and specifying if any guest requires a vegetarian option or has a special dietary requirement. If you would like to sit on the same table as others attending the dinner, please let Suzanna know and she will do her best to arrange the seating plan so this is possible.

Payment can be made by sending a cheque (made payable to the British-Croatian Society) to: Suzanna Dolata, 3 Chester Road, London N19 5DE or by bank transfer to the British-Croatian Society's account 60566500 at Barclays' Oxford City Centre branch, sort code 20-65-18, with your name as the reference, or you can pay using PayPal by selecting membership type AD£50 on the membership page of this website, with your name under ‘enter description’.

The British-Croatian Society has come together with the British-Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Croatian National Tourist Office, the Croatian Students and Young Professionals Network, the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia, the International Trust for Croatian Monuments and the United Kingdom Association of Alumni and Friends of Croatian Universities to create a festival in 2013 to highlight Croatia in the UK as it joins the EU.

A photographic exhibition by one of our members will launch the competition: Gordana Johnson: A 30 YEAR LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE CAMERA

Hear authors Goran Vojnović and Andrej Nikolaidis in converstation with Rosie Goldsmith at Waterstones, Piccadilly on Friday, October 16th, 7pm

Everybody knows this famous Larkin quote, but what does it mean when a son finds out that his father is a war criminal or that his mother was a secret service hit-woman?

Twenty years after the end of the war that followed the break-up of Yugoslavia, a generation of writers is still trying to come to terms with the legacy of their parents' generation.

Goran Vojnović has written for stage and page about the ethnic tensions still present in his native Slovenia, and will be presenting his latest novel, Yugoslavia, My Fatherland, a book which attempts to demystify the wars of the 1990s through the microcosm of a family.

Montenegro's Andrej Nikolaidis will be talking about is latest book, Till Kingdom Come - a crime story which ambitiously spans generations and countries while following a local hack on the trail of his biggest story.

Istros Books is an independent publisher of contemporary literature from South East Europe, based in Bloomsbury, London. Istros Books aims to show-case the very best of literature - both fiction and non-fiction - from the Balkan region to a new audience of English speakers: bringing the best of European writing through quality translation.

MISSION BALKANS!

How to bring the best of contemporary literature from SE Europe to a British audience?

Join Susan Curtis, Founding Director of UK publisher Istros Books, as she presents her pioneering work to provide a platform for writing and writers from a much-misunderstood region. In conversation with Annie & Christopher Buxton. With discount book sale and refreshments to follow.

Mr Boris Vujčić, Governor of Croatian National Bank will be giving a lecture - Central and Eastern Europe convergence and policies to support the catching-up process;

Lecture will be held at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2JN
Guests wishing to attend this event must email Avril Nurse ([email protected]) in advance, no later than Wednesday, 08 July. All guests should arrive at the EBRD from 3.30pm to allow time for security clearance. The lecture will start at 4pm sharp, and will be followed by refreshments.

Our next meet-up will be a special Croatian National Day meal and will take place on Saturday 27 June* at the Polish Social and Cultural Association Lowiczanka restaurant in Hammersmith.

*Please note the change of date from that previously advertised i.e not the 26th!*

We will be on the first floor in the Lowiczanka restaurant at 7.15 – please do arrive at that time.

The Centre is conveniently situated around the corner from Ravenscourt Park station. The restaurant offers a variety of Polish food at reasonable prices. (Sadly, there is no Croatian establishment that suits our needs).

This will be an informal affair, in the spirit of our regular meet-ups, so no strict dress code. You simply turn up and order from the menu – you will be paying the restaurant direct on the night rather than to us.

Come up to the restaurant and look out for BCS committee members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar – they will have a Croatian flag!

Aside from our regulars, this would make an excellent first BCS event for anyone who has not come before, and you are welcome to bring guests.

There is no need to book a place. However, it would be useful if you could signal your intention to come by emailing us at [email protected] . If you cannot commit to coming until nearer the time or even the day – don’t worry, just come along.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

At the moment, the creativeCroatia festival is underway, so there is that to talk about and share news on.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7 PM and 10 PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

Come along for a drink and a chat about all things Croatian!

Advance Notice of the June event: To celebrate Croatian National Day, we are planning to have a special dinner Meet-Up on Friday 26 June. This will take place at the Polish Centre restaurant in Hammersmith and will have an informal atmosphere – put it in your diaries and we will provide more details soon.

Today the Croatian ambassador launched the British-Croatian Society's publication Writing Croatia at the London Book Fair.

It was produced as a contribution to Croatia's participation in the London Book Fair and as part of creativeCroatia.

Croatia's stand was earlier visited by Tibor Navracsics, the EU's Commissioner for Culture with Jeremy O'Sullivan, the EU's Cultural Attache in London.

An electronic version of Writing Croatia is attached and hard copies will be available at British-Croatian Society events. The introduction to Writing Croatia outlines the purpose of the publication:Writing Croatian is for readers in the UK who would like to read some good writing from Croatia or want to know more about the country.

It is not always easy to find out what is going on in Croatia. Media coverage in the UK is limited and much that is exciting in Croatia goes unnoticed. The British-Croatian Society attempts to address this. Writing Croatia is a follow-up to Mapping Croatia that we published in 2013 as a guide to Croatian works of art in UK museums and galleries (copies are available by emailing [email protected]).

Writing Croatia is not a definitive list. It includes out of print books that may be available from second hand booksellers. Further information about each book can be found on booksellers’ websites. If you have suggestions for additions, or other comments, please email us at [email protected].

Following our successful Meet-Up in February, our next one will be on Tuesday 24 March, at the Chandos pub in central London.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7.30PM and 10PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

Grounded in the Croatian Naive tradition of reverse oil painting on glass and mentored by several Croatian Naive artists painting today, Melanie Hodge has taken this unique and little-known technique and made it completely her own: transforming plain, ordinary window glass into looking glasses that reflect a dreaming world.

Characterised by a bright and bold palette, sweeping spirals of stars, richly detailed landscapes of wonder and flowers out of season, this is an exhibition which will showcase how an almost forgotten tradition can inspire new directions, explore the process of painting in the reverse technique and give a glimpse into an imagination of unique artistic vision - as seen through a looking glass.

This is Melanie's first exhibition in London and her second solo exhibition to exclusively feature her works on glass.

During the exhibition of the Croatian bronze sculpture - the Athlete “Apoxyomenus” - in the British Museum, the Croatian Embassy and the British-Croatian Society are organising creativeCroatia, a festival bringing to London the best of Croatian contemporary literature, visual arts, music, theatre, architecture and film. Details of individual events will follow.

Following our successful Meet-Up in December, our next one will be on 11 February, at the Chandos pub in central London.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7PM and 10PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

John Harris will give a talk on the question of re-using the forts around Pula, which are an important example of 19th century military architecture but which are unprotected and under threat from development. He will reflect on the conference organised by the University of Pula on this theme, where he gave the keynote speech.

November 6, 17:30 (the talk will be given at 18:00)

Croatian Embassy
21 Conway Street
London W1T 6BN

You are also invited to join us for a glass of Croatian wine afterwards ( we buy our wine from Croatian Fine Wines Limited www.croatianfinewines.com).

Head of the Conservation Department in Split in honour of the 250th anniversary of Robert Adam's seminal publication.

The lecture will be held in the elegant Georgian townhouse of the Georgian Group.

November 19, 17:30 for 18:00

6 Fitzroy Square

London W1T 5DX (near the Croatian Embassy)

After the lecture Ana Šverko, research associate at the Institute of Art History in Split will
announce the project and conference Dalmatia - a Destination of European Grand Tour in 18th and 19th centuries.

You are also invited to join us for a glass of Croatian Wine after the talk (the British-Croatian Society buys its wine from Croatian Fine Wine Limited www.croatianfinewines.com)

Thursday 15 January 2015

Dr Ivan Grdesic, the Croatian Ambassador, will be in conversation with Peter Sanfey from EBRD (Economic Bank for Reconstruction and Development). Their wide-ranging discussion will help understand what has happened in Croatia and what the prospects are for 2015.

We are pleased to hold this year's dinner at Piccolino (where the reception for the Lipovac sculptures was held in the summer), 11 Exchange Square, London EC2A 2BR (nearest tube Liverpool Street). For more information on Piccolino, please go to

John Harris will give a talk on the question of re-using the forts around Pula, which are an important example of 19th century military architecture but which are unprotected and under threat from development. He will reflect on the conference organised by the University of Pula on this theme, where he gave the keynote speech.

Thursday November 6, 17:30 (the talk will be given at 18:00)
Croatian Embassy
21 Conway Street
London W1T 6BN

You are also invited to join us for a glass of Croatian wine afterwards ( we buy our wine from Croatian Fine Wines Limited www.croatianfinewines.com).

On Saturday 4 October 2014 the British-Croatian Society have a group visit to the Istrian Kazun in the Peak District National Park.

It is an example of Istrian vernacular dry stone construction and celebrates Croatia’s accession to the EU.

A few places are left on the group ticket from London St Pancras International Station on the 08 57 East Midlands train to Chesterfield Derbyshire where we have hired a minibus for local transport.

The cost of the group return ticket is £36.00 per person, plus a contribution towards the minibus hire.

Friends from other locations are most welcome to join us in Chesterfield or at the Kazun, but should let us know so we can arrange numbers.

If you are interested please reply with:

contact details including your email and mobile phone number

stating whether or not you wish to join the group ticket from London

We will collect payments Pay Pal once places are confirmed.

Detailed Itinerary

Location

Times 04/10/14

Remarks

Depart London St Pancras Station, East Midlands Trains service to Chesterfield.

Sheffield is the final destination of this train.

8.57

1hr 46 mins

Please arrive at the East Midlands platforms no later than 8.50. The platforms are a long walk, 250 metres from the station entrance so allow plenty time. Platform gates close about 3 minutes before the train is due to depart.

If you miss the train you will lose your place on the group ticket and you will have to pay the full fare to Chesterfield.

Following our meet-ups earlier this year, our next one will be on Thursday 9 October, at the Chandos pub in central London.

The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you.

At this event, we expect to have representatives from Klapa Kozino. Klapa Kozino are an award winning Klapa group who will be performing at the prestigious St.Ethelburga Centre for Reconciliation and Peace on 17 October. If you are interested in Klapa music, this is an excellent opportunity to find out more.

If Klapa is not your thing, there will others there to chat on different subjects.

The event is of course open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet BCS members and even to join if they so wish!

We will be at the upstairs bar. BCS members Brian Gallagher and John Pindar will be there from the start and you can find us by looking out for Croatian symbols.

We’ll be there between 7PM and 10PM.

The Chandos is a well-regarded establishment, located next to Trafalgar Square and has most reasonable prices.

Cyclus by the late Vasko LipovacOn July 7, as the world’s top cyclists race through the City of London to the finish line on The Mall, Broadgate will be hosting Cyclus, a piece of art by the late Vasko Lipovac. His cyclists have made their own special journey from Croatia to Exchange Square, home of Broadgate's Summer of Sport season. This exhibition is supported by the British-Croatian Society. You can take a closer look at this monumental sculptural artwork out in the open air in Exchange Square before it takes up residence in the reception lobby of 201 Bishopsgate. This stunning piece made of individual cyclists, each with a different colour, will create the perfect atmosphere for celebrating the end of the UK leg of the tour de France. Vasko Lipovac, a painter, sculptor and printmaker was heavily influenced by Croatia’s rich culture, modelling imaginative figures with various materials. He received numerous awards for sculpture, illustrations and public monuments, as well as a lifetime achievement award shortly before he passed away in 2006. Lipovac held his first public exhibition in York in 1959 and now his sons are delighted to bring his work back to England once more. Members of the British-Croatian Society are invited to attend a reception to launch this exhibition. Members should contact this email address if they wish to attend. If you are not a member and would like to join, please see our website www.britishcroatiansociety.com which has details of how to become a member.

After midnight we will be restricted to the upstairs room which has a maximum capacity of 70 persons. Drink sales will stop at 24:00.

The Hoop and Toy is also available for Croatia v Mexico Monday 23 June 21:00.

The Hoop and Toy public house is very near South Kensington Underground station. Leave the station from the Thurloe Street exit, turn left then immediately right into Thurloe Place. The Hoop and Toy is on the right hand side.

Please email or text us if you are planning to join in so we can let the pub know our likely numbers.

have reserved their upstairs room for Croatian Fans to meet and watch:

The opening match Brazil v Croatia on Thursday 12 June 21:00 – 23:00 British Summer Time

Members of the Society will be there from 20:30. Look out for Croatian flags etc.

The room is also available for subsequent matches in the initial round:

Cameroon v Croatia 18 June 20:00 – 22:00

Croatia v Mexico 23 June 21:00 – 23:00

The Hoop and Toy public house is very near South Kensington Underground station. Leave the station from the Thurloe Street exit, turn left then immediately right into Thurloe Place. The Hoop and Toy is on the right hand side.

Please email or text us if you are planning to join in so we can let the pub know our likely numbers.

Maritime History and IdentityFriday, 20 June 2014, 6.30pm Dr Tea Perinčić Director, Maritime and History Museum, Rijeka Please email [email protected] if you wish to attend. The main challenge of working in a maritime museum today is how to manage change; from collecting and presenting heritage objects, to finding a way to conserve the current living maritime heritage in situ (both tangible and intangible). All very difficult at a time when the maritime industry (shipyards, companies) is dying. The crucial objective is then to preserve models of intangible heritage (stories, knowledge, skills, achievements,) along with material evidence of the maritime culture. This process creates a way for a people to remain in touch with their past and traditions which have been and continue being connected to the sea. And it is this maritime heritage, which has been for so long a major part of our national identity, that also connects us to the wider European maritime heritage.

EBRD & The British-Croatian SocietyChris Cviić Memorial LectureThursday, 26 June 2014, 5.30pm European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 32 One Exchange Square London EC2A 2JN Following Chris Cviić: Ethics and Reconstruction from 'the Balkans' to Ukraine by James Gow Professor of International Peace and Security King's College London Guests wishing to attend this event must email Avril Nurse [email protected] in advance, no later than Monday, 23 June. All guests should arrive at the EBRD from 5pm to allow time for security clearance. The lecture will start at 5.30pm sharp, and will be followed by refreshments.

Meet Up The Society holds regular Meet Up events. They are held in a variety of pubs in central London on weekday evenings. For the latest Meet Up, please email [email protected] The intention is for people with any form of interest in Croatia to meet up, socialise and have a chat over a drink in an informal atmosphere. Whether you are a Croatian resident in London or someone who has recently visited Croatia for the first time and want to know more, this event is for you. The event is open to both members and non-members. It provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to come and meet British-Croatian Society members.

British-Croatian Society Croatia will again this year have a stand at the London Book Fair. You are invited to Europe House for an event during the Book Fair that provides a rare opportunity to hear and meet Croatian writers in London. Please email [email protected] if you wish to attend. Your name will then be given to the security staff at Europe House so they will know to expect you. You are welcome to bring along friends - just let us know their names. ‘Literary Quartet’ - An Evening celebrating writing from Croatia Wednesday April 9th at 18:30 Please join us for an evening of words and ideas featuring two established Croatian authors together with two prominent up-coming authors. Daša Drndić and Edo Popović, both established authors and members of Croatia's literary scene will be joined by relative new-comers, Dinko Telećan and Kristian Novak, and will each be exchanging ideas about their work and their experiences. There will also be a chance to sample their prose, with live author readings. The evening will be hosted by author and president of the Croatian Writers Society, Nikola Petković This event is hosted by the Croatian Embassy in London, and there will be a drinks reception following the discussion. Europe House 32 Smith Square London SW1P 3EU

There will be a bar open both before and after the concert and Gordana will be on hand at her exhibition in the Upper Gallery.

Tickets will be available at the door at £10 or £8 for students or seniors, but it will be free for members of the British-Croatian Society. You can join the Society from only £12 by going to our website: [email protected]

Lauderdale House was originally built in 1582 as a private house for the three-times Lord Mayor of London, Sir Richard Martin www.lauderdalehouse.co.uk.

The programme includes works by Andjelko Klobucar, Stjepan Sulek, Boris Papandopulo, Zeljko Brkanovic and Frano Parac.

Srđan Bulat (born in 1986 in Split, Croatia) started playing guitar at the age of eight. In 2010 he graduated Summa cum laude from the Music Academy in Zagreb where he studied with professor Darko Petrinjak, member of the Zagreb Guitar Trio and one of world's foremost guitar pedagogues. He received two Rector’s awards (awarded on the University level) and a Dean’s award.

During his career Srdjan has won prizes in almost all of the most prestigious international guitar competitions, including third and second prizes in 'Michele Pittaluga' in Alessandria, second prizes in 'Alhambra', Valencia and 'Gredos San Diego', Madrid and first prizes in 'Fernando Sor', Rome and 'Julian Arcas' in Almeria. In September 2011 Srdjan won the first prize and a special prize for the best interpretation of works by Tarrega in the 'Francisco Tarrega' competition in Benicassim, Spain, one of the most important international competitions for classical guitarists, for which he was given an opportunity to record his first CD for the prestigious music label Naxos. This CD was officially released in September 2012.

Srđan has also won numerous special awards for the best interpretation of Spanish music which is prominently featured in all of his solo recitals and recordings. Srđan has won three of the most important national competitions for young musicians: ‘Ferdo Livadic’, ‘Ivo Vuljevic’ and ‘Darko Lukic’ as the only guitarist to do so, since these are competitions open to all instrumentalists and singers.

He is currently a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he studies with Prof. Michael Lewin, as the winner of ABRSM fees scholarship. He has most recently won the second prize in the London International Guitar Competition.

Tickets are free but must be booked no later than January 27 by emailing [email protected]

Alicia Salter’s interest in the history of architecture led her to Robert Adam and his archaeological survey of Diocletian’s palace in Split and the publication of her book ‘Four Emperors and an Architect: How Robert Adam rediscovered the Tetrarchy’.

Diocletian’s palace made a huge impression on an ambitious young architect, Robert Adam, who heard about it while on his Grand Tour. Although his visit to the palace was made difficult and cut short by the ruling Venetians, who suspected him of spying, it did not stop Adam, seven years later, publishing his monumental and highly successful work, The Ruins of Spalatro (as Split was then known), which confirmed him as a rising new talent.

Alicia Salter’s book tells the story of Adam’s rediscovery of the architecture of the Tetrarchs and how Diocletian’s palace inspired features in some of Adam’s most famous houses, such as Kedleston, Syon and his ill-fated Adelphi development in London. Woven into this tale is the intriguing and little-known history of the Tetrarchs themselves, the four emperors, who ruled harmoniously as colleagues for twelve years and left us with an extraordinary architectural legacy.

The Centre for Research on the European Matrix (CRonEM) and the Croatian Embassy in London are organising a one-day conference – “CROATIA – Making a Success of EU Membership”.

The aim of the conference will be to investigate how Croatia can make the most of the opportunities it now enjoys as a Member State of the EU while addressing the challenges membership provides. As a newly sovereign state joining the EU at a time of economic crisis and ‘enlargement fatigue’, the participants will explore how and what Croatia can learn from previous rounds of enlargement, how Croatia can manage the challenge of being a euro ‘pre-in’ at a time of deepening economic integration, and how Croatian nationals can best use and adapt to their new status as EU citizens. The event will bring together policy-makers, experts and academics from Croatia, the UK and other EU members.

Monday 25 November 2013, 09:00 to 17:00 University of Surrey, Wates House This is a FREE event with a limited number of places. Lunch is provided and the event is followed by a reception. Details & registration can be found by visiting: Making a Success of EU Membership Conference

You are invited to the annual dinner of the British-Croatian Society in

The Montague on the Gardens Hotel 15 Montague Street London WC1B 5BJ

18:30 on Friday 22nd November

We are returning to the Montague Gardens Hotel (www.montaguehotel.com) for our annual dinner after the success of the dinner there last year. The hotel is a comfortable venue with friendly staff, the food is excellent and the location near the British Museum very convenient. The hotel is easy to reach by public transport and parking in the evening on the road outside is free of charge.

You will be welcomed with a glass of wine in the Large Conservatory before going to the Great Russell Suite for dinner. The Montague has a fine reputation for its food and you will be served an excellent three course meal, followed by petits fours and coffee.

Our guest speaker will be Josko Stella, Director of Tourism for the Split region, who will talk about new developments in tourism.

To make a booking, please email [email protected] with the names of those attending. At the same time please pay using paypal on www.britishcroatiansociety.com (go to paypal on the membership page and click on AD £50)

Aurelia Young talks at 18-00 about her Croatian sculptor father, Oscar Nemon, in the House of Lords, followed by a reception in the River Room by kind permission of the Lord Speaker. British-Croatian Society members can obtain tickets by emailing [email protected]

Shared Innovation is the result of a partnership developed by British Council Croatia between the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, the Croatian Designers’ Association and the School of Design, University of Zagreb.

It showcases the success of the Extra / ordinary Design Workshops - a British Council project working in Croatia since 2011.

It has used mainstream design, led by UK expertise, and a design-led inclusive process to help transform organisations run by, employing or educating socially marginalised groups and supports their struggle in challenging economic times.

Please note that guided tours will take place on Saturdays at 11-00, 14-00 and 16-00 and to book a place on a tour it is necessary to email [email protected]

The British-Croatian Society is pleased to invite you to the launch of the book 'Chris Cviić: a memoir by his friends and himself' and a showing of the film 'Homecoming / Dom Zauvijek' on Tuesday December 4 at the Whirled Cinema, 259-260 Hardess Street, Loughborough Junction, SE24 0HN.

The Whirled Cinema www.whirledart.co.uk opened in 2010 and is a comfortable cinema with a bar and lounge. It can be easily reached by public transport. The venue is booked exclusively for the British-Croatian Society from 18-30. The book launch will be at 19-00 (further information about the book is attached) and will be followed at 19-30 by screening of Homecoming (synopsis below), produced by Tina Galović, a young Croat who has set up the Bold Turtle Productions company in London. The film lasts one hour and afterwards there will be an opportunity to talk to Tina and have a drink at the bar.

Synopsis of Homecoming:

"I dream of giving birth to child who will ask 'Mother, what was war?'"

Structured in ten distinguishing yet complementary chapters, documentary film Homecoming takes us on an emotional journey through Croatian destiny in the last 20 years. The documentary introduces a number of characters of various age and background, from various parts of Croatia for whom the war of Croatian independence changed their lives forever.

Narrated with a voice of a young woman who was only a child when the war happened, intercepted with extraordinary personal stories and shocking and disturbing archive footages from early nineties, Homecoming delivers a unique and rounded journey of an unfortunate destiny of Croatian people, from the conception through labour to tragic consequences the Homeland War has brought about.

It charts the conviction of people for whom identity and survival were paramount.

Aside from strong, emotional personal stories of unthinkable horror proportions, the film is just the same one of hope and inspiration. It is a film about courage against adversity, faith against despair; reflections and remembrance, and ultimately hope for brighter future.

Through the voices of common people, Homecoming tells a story about the raise of a small, invisible Balkan country with enormous natural and human beauty from the ashes of terror; the country which still bears the scars, both physical and psychological, of the conflict during the War of Independence. It reflects upon a part of history that, although can never be changed, has moulded and influenced a generation in a positive way.

This film documents a remarkable journey through nostalgia to hope for the future and shows Croatia, its once destroyed places and despaired people in the already won fight for the brighter, promising future, and asks how other nations that have been besieged with war might see their way out of the ashes of aggression.

This year's British-Croatian Society annual dinner will be held in the Great Russell Room at the Montague Hotel (for details of the hotel see www.montaguehotel.com) on Friday November 23. This is a charming small hotel with excellent food situated next to the British Museum. It is easy to reach by public transport and from 18-30 there is parking on the road outside the hotel.

Places to attend the dinner are limited to 100. Reservations with payment must be made by Friday November 16 at the latest. The cost is £50 a person. This will include a 3 course dinner and coffee, as well as a welcome drink in the Conservatory.

Reservations should be made by email to Suzanna at [email protected], giving the names of those attending and specifying if any guest requires a vegetarian option or has a special dietary requirement. If you would like to sit on the same table as others attending the dinner, please let Suzanna know and she will do her best to arrange the seating plan so this is possible.

Payment can be made by sending a cheque (made payable to the British-Croatian Society) to: Suzanna Dolata, 3 Chester Road, London N19 5DE or by bank transfer to the British-Croatian Society's account 60566500 at Barclays' Oxford City Centre branch, sort code 20-65-18, with your name as the reference, or you can pay using PayPal by selecting membership type AD£50 on the